Madison Square

Madison Square is a public square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The square was a swampy hunting ground before becoming a public space in 1686, becoming a common grave in the 1700s and serving as a US Army arsenal from 1811 to 1825. From 1825 until 1839, it was used as a juvenile delinquent center, and it was destroyed by fire. From 1839 to 1852, it was a roadhouse known as "Madison Cottage" in honor of President James Madison, but it was razed in 1852 to make room for Franconi's Roman Hippodrome and then for the Fifth Avenue Hotel. It was the cottage that gave its name to Madison Avenue and Madison Park, and the 6.2-acre park opened to the public on 10 May 1847. As elite residents moved further uptown, the area was commercialized, and restaurants, theaters, and clubs opened in the neighborhood. In the late 19th and mid-20th centuries, Madison Square Garden was built in the area.